F1 Chinese GP: Wolff admits Mercedes by no means flawless

Mercedes needs to raise its game to maintain its strong start to F1 2016, according to motorsport boss Toto Wolff.

Toto Wolff is refusing to get carried away by two wins from as many grands prix in 2016, insisting that his team still needs to raise its game.

Despite Nico Rosberg taking out both the Australian and Bahrain grands prix, and Lewis Hamilton starting from pole in Melbourne and Sakhir, the head of Mercedes motorsport admits that, with the opposition showing signs of a credible threat, there has to be an all-round improvement from the Silver Arrows, starting at this weekend's race in Shanghai.

Starts have proven to be Mercedes' main undoing over the first couple of rounds, with Hamilton in particular suffering in the early laps. Both W07s initially fell behind the Ferraris in Melbourne, while Hamilton had to survive a first corner collision with a fast-starting Valtteri Bottas before mounting a recovery in round two.

"After two races, we find ourselves in a strong position," Wolff admitted, "Our car has proven itself to be competitive in a range of conditions - but also reliable even at this early stage, which is a tremendous achievement.

"But there is a long way to go and we have by no means been flawless in every area so far. With Ferrari increasingly breathing down our necks, as we saw in Bahrain, there is zero room for error. Remaining energised is now more important than ever - and we all have plenty to keep us on our toes in that respect."

Rosberg leads the drivers' championship by 17 points from team-mate Hamilton after two rounds, with Mercedes 50 ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' standings courtesy of 1-2 and 1-3 finishes in Australia and Bahrain respectively. But, again, Wolff is reluctant to call either member of his squad the frontrunner...

"With just two races down and 19 to go, I wouldn't say there is momentum on one side or the other," he insisted, "But what is clear - and very exciting for the team and the sport - is that we have two drivers high in confidence who will provide us with plenty of entertainment over the coming months."